


Something is Brewing, About to Begin

by AliceSloane13



Series: Mary Poppins Returns Song Fics [1]
Category: Mary Poppins - All Media Types, Mary Poppins Returns - Fandom
Genre: Mary doesn't know what the hell she's still doing with this circus, Original Soundtrack, Song fic, and the most adorable sweetheart, in the best of ways, jane is gay af, mostly fluffy, the banks children are nothing but trouble
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-15
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-01-13 13:26:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18469891
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AliceSloane13/pseuds/AliceSloane13
Summary: Mary Poppins Returns one shots, based off of the songs of OG Mary Poppins





	1. Something is Brewing, About to Begin

_Winds in the east, mist coming in_  
_Like something is brewing about to begin_  
_Can't put me_   _finger on what lies in store_  
_But I feel what's to happen all happened before_

Hello, thanks for checking this out. Unfortunately, this first chapter is really just an author's note, but I wanted to explain a few things that aren't really addressed in the story. The big one, of course, is that Mary Poppins is back with the Banks family, right where she belongs. The characters may feel a smidge out of character, but unlike a certain someone I am *not* practically perfect. So, please be gentle. 

Each chapter is going to tie back in to one of the original songs. They'll be posted in the soundtrack's order, but there's a few I would have liked to switch the order around. Still, they can be read as one shots in any order so I guess that doesn't really matter. I'll admit that despite having seen the original 8 million times (seriously my first dog was named Mary Poppins) I haven't watched it recently. As I was planning these out I ended up using the overture. It really doesn't have lyrics other than a chorus singing a few bits and pieces, but I already had it planned out so I'm just going to use it as is. 

Anyway, Mary is back and/or never left. The Banks adults and Banks children are thrilled. As am I! 

So, I hope you like it and "off we go" ;) 

 


	2. Chapter 1: Overture - Where it All Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While the Banks family is having breakfast, Jack shows up with a letter from an old friend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a few quick housekeeping things. 
> 
> 1\. I thought it over after reading through this and decided that I'm only going to use "Mary Poppins" in dialogue or specific instances. The rest of the time she'll just be reffered to as Mary. 
> 
> 2\. If you subscribe to the theory that once upon a time Mary was Bert's nanny (which I do), it would go to reason that his upbringing was well off enough to afford a nanny. Therefore his writing is much more "proper" than the way he talks. I didn't want to overkill the letter with the accent... so, if he sounds a bit out of character... that's why. 
> 
> 3\. I'm sorry the letter is so broken up, but there's a lot going on in any room with 8 people! 
> 
> 4\. I have Jane/Mary listed in the tags. If that's not your cup of tea than ofc that's fine. It's more hints of it in this story, but they do have some very sweet moments coming up that I just had to list it. All PG stuff, so no worries about me ruining your childhood icons.

Jane was helping Ellen get breakfast sorted when there was a knock on the front door. She looked to Michael in question. “Are you expecting anyone?”

Shaking his head in confusion, Michael rose to his feet. “It can’t be anything more surprising than Mary Poppins showing up though,” he added over his shoulder.

The children all looked at their nanny and laughed. “I bet they didn’t come on a kite,” John said.

“Not a kite, but will a bike do?” Jack asked as he walked in with Michael. He sat down between Georgie and Annabel as the children all greeted him with excitement.

Georgie was all but climbing on him as he hugged Jack. “We haven’t seen you in ages.”

“Ages huh?” Jack questioned. “I suppose it has been a bit of time.”

“A week is hardly ages, Georgie” Mary added shaking her head. “Sit back down and do use your napkin, please. Your shirt is not there to wipe your fingers on.”

“Would you like some breakfast, Jack?” Jane asked gesturing to the food she was preparing.

Michael nodded. “Yes, you really must join us. There’s more than plenty.”

“Oh, I shouldn’t, sir,” Jack said, waving off their hospitality. Michael had told him repeatedly not to call him sir, but it was a habit Jack couldn’t seem to break. Before he could say anything else, Ellen placed a fully loaded plate in front of him. “Well, I guess I can’t let it go to waste,” he said, winking at Annabel. He popping a piece of bacon into his mouth, narrowly missing a chiding from Mary to use his silverware.

Jane and Ellen brought their own plates over and joined the family at the table. “What brings you by?” Jane asked. “Not that you need a reason to come by. You’re always welcome here.” She and Jack got along well, and they had seen quite a bit of each other, but things were still a bit awkward. She was never quite sure where they stood.

For the most part, they had become very good friends, but occasionally, she got the impression that he liked her as more than just a friend. That was something she certainly didn’t have time for. Especially now. Ever since Michael and the children returned home, she’d been spending an increasing amount of time with them. She was just happy to have her family around her and wasn’t looking for anything to complicate that.

“You’re too kind,” Jack said with a genuine smile. He felt Mary watching him, and their eyes met. She nodded subtly with a knowing look. It had been a long time since Jack had anything close to a family. She couldn’t be more pleased that he’d been welcomed into the Bankses’ home so genuinely. She just hoped he wouldn’t suffer any heartache.

“Well,” Jack said, pausing to take a sip of coffee. He reached in his pocket and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper. “I was getting ready to go about my rounds when I found a letter sitting on my doorstep.” He held the piece of paper up and rolled it across his fingers like it was a coin even though it was far too big for that trick to be possible.

“A letter? From who? What’s it say?” The children’s questions washed through the room.

Jack grinned. “A letter from a very important man, I might say.” He unfolded the letter and offered it to Annabel. “Care to do the honors?”

Annabel nodded in excitement and took the paper. “Dear Prince Jack,” she read, noting to herself how elegant the handwriting was.

She’d have to see if she could borrow it from Jack and study it. Her own handwriting had always been on the sloppy side, despite her desire for perfection. When she would write stories, her mother used to say that it suffered because her hands couldn’t keep up with her mind.

“Are you really a prince?” Georgie asked, eyes widening. He’d never known royalty before.

Laughing Jack shook his head. “It’s just something he used to call me.” He watched as Georgie squinted at him, not wholly believing him. Reaching over he ruffled the boy’s hair and nodded for Annabel to continue.

 

_Dear Prince Jack,_

_It’s been a while since I’ve had time to sit down and write to you, but I thought it was high time to catch you up on what I’ve been up to since my last letter. I hope things are well with you. I know London is having her shares of troubles. You should see what was going on in Vulgaria-_

 

“Wait,” John interrupted. “You read that wrong.”

“No, I didn’t,” Annabel said, snapping at her brother.

With complete confidence, John corrected her. “It’s BUL-garia, not Vulgaria.”

Annabel shook her head and huffed. “Look, right here.” She held the letter so that he could see. “It says VUL-garia.”

“But that’s not a real place,” John insisted in frustration.

“Oh really, John?” Mary asked. “And you know this from all your worldly travels, do you? Please continue Annabel.”

Sitting up a little straighter, Annabel did just that, managing to keep her tone even without any snark or knowing pride in her voice despite winning the argument.

 

_You should see what was going on in Vulgaria with their government. Well, it’s been overthrown now, but it was a mess of a country there for a while. I would have started shipping kids to you if I could of. Even the streets of London are better than living in sewers. It hasn’t all been bad though._

_That was hardly the only place I’ve been, though. I’ll tell you one thing–Mary was right about those elephants. They’re one of the best ways to travel. You just ask her if she’s ever ridden a giraffe though. There’s an adventure. I met a man named Doolittle who introduced me to Twigga. It was a challenge, but once you get the balance right, it’s a splenderific and funtastical ride._

 

“Have you ridden a giraffe, Mary Poppins?” Georgie asked with wide eager eyes.

Mary put a finger over her lips. “Don’t interrupt,” she said gently.

Jane and Michael--who had no doubt who the letter was from--heard the emotion in their former nanny’s voice that she was trying to hold back and shared a knowing look.

Mary pointedly refused to meet either of their gazes but was surprised when Michael grabbed her hand beneath the table and squeezed it affectionately before letting it go.

She turned and offered him a small smile and then briefly met Jane’s gaze. She knew if the young woman sitting before her were in Michael’s place, she’d be doing a lot more than a reassuring squeeze. Mary’s lips spread into a real smile and she nodded softly, reassuring Jane she knew.

Bashfully Jane bit her bottom lip and turned back to listen to Annabel. She was just as eager to hear about Bert’s adventures as the rest of them. She just knew that for Jack and Mary it was much more emotional. She and Michael had both adored Bert, but they had only known him for such a short while. It wasn’t too long after Mary left that he seemed to disappear as well.

 

_I know you always want to know about the animals. You always did love them. I got those crocodile teeth you wanted. The locals have all sorts of jewelry made from them. I think I got just the right thing for you._

_You know, a funny thing happened. The other morning, I heard the strangest sound outside my tent. Well, I couldn’t imagine what it was. You see there’s a rumor that there’s a creature called a Whangdoodle that lives around here. Anyway, I got up and went outside to see what it was. I was so excited. I thought here’s something even Mary Poppins couldn’t think up. Then I see her she was, charging towards my tent, not slowing down at all. Well, I didn’t know what to do. I grabbed my gun and shot the elephant in my pajamas._

 

Mary rolled her eyes with an exasperated sigh. “Bert, really,” she said under her breath. She knew exactly where this was heading. Bert would never hurt a fly.

Laughing Jack shook his head. The kids all looked at him horrified, but he quickly pointed to the letter for Annabel to continue.

 

_How that elephant got in my pajamas, I will never know._

 

As the punch line hit, the children all broke out into giggles. Which just caused Jack to laugh harder. Soon Jane was joining in, and the laughter continued to spread through Michael, Ellen and finally Mary Poppins herself.

John wasn’t positive, but he thought he saw his aunt’s chair begin to lift off the ground, but was distracted as Mary spoke.

Staring at Jane in exasperation, there was a hint of warning in the Nanny’s voice. “I told you it was contagious.”

Michael nearly spat out his orange juice laughing so hard. “You didn’t tell us it would last this long, though,” he said, somewhat coming to his sister’s aid.

As John turned back to his aunt, he saw that her chair was planted firmly on the ground.  It must have just been his imagination.

 

_Now don’t go telling Uncle Albert that one. I’m saving it up just for him. Truth be told, the elephant just had a cold. And you know what you do when that happens, don’t you? You run like hell before he sneezes._

_Do you know what you get when you mix an elephant and a rhino? ‘ell if I know (elep-hino). Here’s a fun fact for you instead. Do you know why elephants can’t forget anything? No? Well, it’s because no one tells them anything._

 

Jane burst out laughing, having been trying to hold back her giggles. This set Michael off.

“Honestly,” Mary interrupted. “If the two of you cannot control yourselves, I would kindly ask you to remove yourselves from the table. Might I remind you-you are not a laughing pack of hyenas.”

This just made them laugh even harder and left the children very confused. Although, they did quite enjoy seeing their father and Aunt Jane getting scolded for a change. It seemed that no one was safe from Mary Poppins scoldings.

 

_Well, it turns out I don’t have as much time as I’d like to catch you up on all that’s happened. They’re ready for me now. I’m with a circus troupe, and they promised to shoot me out of their cannon._

_You take care of yourself Jack my boy. Tell Mary and Jane and Michael hello for me. I expect I’ll be seeing you all soon. Assuming I don’t get blown up or end up on the moon._

_Your Friend Always,_

_Bert_

 

“Will we get to meet him?” Annabel asked, looking directly at Mary.

At the same time, Georgie pulled Jack down to him and whispered in his ear. “Is Bert magic too?”

“I’m sure when Bert comes back to London, he will make an appearance,” Mary said, knowingly. “There’s no telling when that will be though. Now finish your breakfast. We have a lot to do today.”

“Yes, Mary Poppins,” six disgruntled voices grumbled. Jane, Michael, and Jack all shared a look. Even at their age, Mary had that effect on them.

“Blimey, you work miracles.” Ellen gave Mary a look of surprise. Although by now you would think nothing Mary Poppins did was surprising. “You’re going to have to teach me how to do that some time,” she added, as Jack and the entire Banks family immediately turned into well-behaved dutiful children.

To Ellen and Mary, they were all children really. When you got to be a certain age those things just happen. Two generations of joyful, imaginative, and magical children. Mary smiled fondly at the group around the table. On the surface, everything seemed to be fine. A loving happy family sat before her. However, she knew that things weren’t perfect. If they were, she wouldn’t still be there. She just wasn’t sure what the trouble was.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Mary went back to her own breakfast. Things would make themselves clear in time. No use worrying about it until then.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there's the start of it all. I really hope you enjoyed!
> 
> I apologize if you showed up thinking I had a new Wanted chapter or Star Wars stuff, but I hope you stuck around and read this! I have so many plans for it. That being said, I have not given up on my other stories. There should be a new Wanted chapter out soon *fingers crossed*
> 
> For the rest of you, there are so many references and easter eggs in here. While the movie did an amazing job of blending in the familiar without overkilling it. I've just hit you over the head with a frying pan... so... who can spot them? 
> 
> I'm not going to say how many (mostly bc I don't want to go back and count them all), but if you guys want to take a shot at spotting them all I'll send a bit of a preview or spoiler or something to the person that gets the most? You can send me your guesses on tumblr at AliceSloane13 or by email at AliceSloane1313@gmail.com
> 
> Please leave reviews here though. They get lost in messages and emails, but they honestly make me so happy! Happier than a giggling Jane. I swear it!


	3. Chapter 2: Sister Suffragette - Our Daugther's Daughters Will Adore Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back at home, the Banks family begins to unpack and move back in. In the attic, Annabel stumbles upon some old photos, and she, Mary and Jane reminisce.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obv. Mary hasn't left and is still with them, pretty much throughout the whole series. I've also played around with Kate's backstory a little bit. From the movie, I'm assuming she stayed home with the kids, but *shrugs* this happened.

For a good part of the afternoon, Annabel, Mary, and Jane had been unpacking and organizing the recently returned boxes to the attic. John and Angus were going through all the boxes and taking them to each room they belonged in. They hadn't had much time to pack in any sort of order, so the entire ordeal was rather chaotic. Michael, Jack, and a few of the other lamplighters were bringing in what furniture they had packed up. In the meantime, Georgie and Ellen had gone to the grocers with a list of essentials and lunch. John had made sure that Georgie knew that they needed everything on the list and nothing else.

"Who's this?" Annabel asked, opening a photo album to a full-sized photo of a young woman standing in a bridal gown.

Jane scooted closer to her niece and smiled down at the picture of her mother. "You've seen pictures of your grandmother before. They're all over the house. Jane reached into the box for the next photo and found one of her parents together.

"Not when she was this young," Annabel said, studying the photo for the similarities to the pictures that she'd seen. It was her eyes that gave it away. Once she recognized those, everything else started to become familiar. "She was very beautiful."

"Mary Poppins," Jane said, catching the older woman's attention. She held the picture up, and Mary walked over and took it from her.

The older woman nodded fondly. "I never expected to see George Banks without a mustache."

"Tell me about her," Annabel requested, looking up at her misty-eyed aunt. She was still holding onto the photo of Winifred Banks.

Looking down at Annabel, Jane grinned. "Your grandmother was an amazing woman. And I'm not just saying that because she was my mother," she said, poking her niece playfully until she was giggling.

Back to her own box, Mary watched the younger women fondly. Noticing how much alike they were–how much Winifred Banks' spirit had been passed down to each. She would have loved Annabel. She would have loved to see how Jane had come along. Mary knew that both Winifred and George had passed away some time ago, but she wasn't completely clear on the details. There had never been an appropriate opportunity to ask, and it wasn't her place.

Despite what everyone seemed to think, she was not a mind reader or omnipotent. She was just very good at reading people and coming to logical conclusions quickly. There were traits and behaviors people inherited because of their societal status and environment. There were also traits and behaviors that were solely their own. Once you knew what to look for, and had been around as long as she had, the pieces just fell into place.

"Well," Jane started, turning her body to face Annabel. "When I was a little girl, your grandmother was a suffragette."

"What's that?" Annabel asked.

Jane looked through the box in front of them and found the album she was looking for. "Well, the only reason women even get to vote now is because of people like your grandmother." She flipped through the pages until she found a particular newspaper clipping. "Here they are," she said, turning the book and handing it to Annabel.

Annabel looked at the faded newspaper clipping, yellowed with age. It was hard to make out the details, but there was a line of women wearing sashes. The headline was long worn away, but she could see a sense of pride behind their stern gazes. "What was this for?" Annabel asked, trying to make out the worn words.

"Let me see," Jane said, leaning closer and looking over Annabel's shoulder. "Oh, she was so young here. Honestly, I'm not sure. I was probably closer to Georgie's age when this was taken. Maybe younger." She smiled fondly as she stared down at her mother. "She was always working towards something. There's no telling."

"Is that grandfather?" Annabel asked, pointing to a man in the crowd.

Jane pulled the book from her niece and held it up closer to her face. "Mary Poppins," she said, unsure of what she was seeing. She rose to her feet and met the woman halfway. "It does look like Father, doesn't it? I mean aside from the whole actually being there and the looking proud part."

"Grandfather wasn't proud of her?" Annabel asked. Neither of the women acknowledged her at first.

Placing a gentle hand on Jane's back and looking at the photo, Mary was as surprised as Jane. "Well, it certainly looks like him." She turned to Jane, finding the younger woman already looking at her hopefully. She reached up and squeezed Jane's shoulder and nodded. "I think it probably was."

Mary looked down at Annabel and then back at Jane. "You know your aunt is very much like her mother. They have the same fighting spirit." She paused for a moment and smiled fondly at the younger girl. "I see a bit of it in you as well. Give it time, and you'll be fighting your own causes just like them. She would be very proud of you both."

Jane bit her lip. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks and knew she was blushing. Speechless, she walked back over to Annabel and sat down. Collecting herself, she turned back to Annabel's earlier question. "Your grandfather was... very old fashioned. He was proud of her of course, but he also didn't quite understand what she was fighting for. He was a provider and a good one. So, when she wanted more independence for women, he felt that he might be doing something wrong. Of course, he wasn't, but not every man was like my father. Also," she hesitated, trying to find the right words. She'd spent most of her life searching for the right words. It was the only way the people she went up against listened.

"You saw how strong your mother was and how supportive your father was. She had her own voice, and she didn't need him to speak for her. A woman's identity shouldn't be shadowed by her father's, or brother's, or husband's, or any other man in her life. You get to have just as much of a voice as they do. Your parents didn't always agree completely, but they did always talk. They always listened to each other, and in the end, they always wanted what was right for you and your brothers."

Jane was getting emotional talking about Kate, and she knew Annabel was too. Annabel was probably old enough to remember some of the fights Michael and Kate had. They were both strongly passionate people. While Kate could usually keep a calm head, even she was known to meet Michael toe to toe in stubbornness. When Kate wanted to get a job with longer hours so that Michael could continue to paint, he had been so angry. It hadn't fazed Kate at all. She'd patiently listened to him but then had her say and eventually they had worked it out.

"Do you remember after Georgie was born, how your mother wanted to go back to work right away?"

With a knowing sigh, Annabel nodded. "She and father really got into it over that. Father didn't even think anyone would hire a woman who had children."

"Yes, but she did. I know you missed out on time with her, but she loved what she did, and she knew your father loved being an artist. No one could ever predict that she..." Jane had to cut herself off from that thought. Going back to work, Kate had missed time with the children. Not much, but enough that Jane wondered if Kate would have regretted her choices.

Despite the loss, going back to work had been such a good thing for all of them. Pregnancy always left Kate a little depressed at first. Working helped with that. She still spent time with the kids every chance she got. Both she and Michael made sure that they had family outings nearly every weekend, and in ways, that practice had left them all closer than if she’d stayed home.

Michael stayed home with them most of the time. He would take them along with him anywhere he wanted to go paint. Mostly he worked from home. Now he spent his days in the bank, and the children had been alone for far too long. She glanced over at Mary Poppins and was once more grateful for her presence in their lives. "

"Well, you see, not every family has the same goals or dynamic. Not even every person in that family wants the same thing-"

"Is that why you've never gotten married? You don't want to? Are you afraid you'll have to give up work?" Annabel knew it was somewhat of a sore spot and that her aunt always avoided talking about her love life.

Mary had the decency to turn her back towards them before rolling her eyes. "Annabel, these three boxes need to go over there," she said, drawing the younger woman out of the conversation and reliving a very grateful Jane.

Annabel knew precisely what was happening and silently agreed to change the subject. She had thought that since she was the eldest and since it was just the three of them, Aunt Jane would be a little less guarded. "So, because grandfather was working and grandmother was always doing her own work, Mary Poppins came to take care of you?"

Jane laughed. "Oh, Mary Poppins wasn't the first." She looked down at her lap with a small smirk.

"Indeed," Mary commented in that firm but ambiguous tone. Something between the sounds of gentle chiding that you'd done something that you shouldn't have, but with a note of pride that you'd done it at all. It was a tone both of the younger women had become accustomed too. "As I recall, there had already been a few nannies that you and Michael had run off."

"Only a few," Jane said innocently.

Annabel, ever the curious one, pushed for more. "How many is a few?" she asked as she finished moving the boxes Mary had pointed out to her.

"Well the first one stayed the longest, she was with us for about a year or so," Jane said. "There were a few more that stayed for months at a time. Michael and I were both very young then. Still, it didn't go unnoticed that when we had nannies, mother and father seemed to get busier and busier, which meant less time for us." She paused for a second and looked down at the photo of her parents. "Don't get me wrong. They had their reasons. They were both always working to make our futures a little bit better."

"You're avoiding the question," Annabel said knowingly. She stood in front of Jane with her arms crossed.

Jane giggled. "I suppose I am a little. Before Mary Poppins came, we had... Let me see," Jane said, silently counting off each poor woman they'd tormented. She knew exactly how many it had been and didn't know why she was acting as though she didn't. "12, I believe."

Annabel's jaw dropped. It took a lot to surprise her–even more so since Mary Poppins had come into their lives. "12?" she parroted.

"Yes, they were a bit too clever for their own good," Mary added. "I believe, before I got here, it was six in four months?"

"That sounds about right,” Michael said, coming up the stairs with another box. He set the box down next to the one Jane and Annabel were going through. "Our system was nearly perfect until Mary Poppins showed up. We knew all the tricks on how to get rid of a nanny." He grinned and then saw Mary looking at him with a raised eyebrow. "Except for you, of course. No one could get rid of you."

"No one would want to," Jane added, laughing with her brother. She sifted through the top layer of the box Michael placed in front of her. "I thought John was going through the boxes."

Michael nodded. "Yes, he was. I'm giving him a hand while they bring around the other truck."

"Other truck?" Jane asked, bewildered. She was sure they only packed up enough to fill one.

"It turns out that most of those things we thought we'd gotten rid of, Jack and his friends had loaded up as well and saved for us."

The smile that graced Jane's face was something he hadn't seen in a very long time. "That's wonderful." There had been so many things she hadn't wanted to part with, but her flat simply couldn't hold all of it, and they had no money to store it anywhere."

"Yes, it really is," he agreed.

Annabel was quite pleased to hear the news as well. She knew it was practical to only take what they needed, but that hadn't made it sting any less. "Where on earth did they keep it all?" she asked.

"Apparently, Miss Lark and the Admiral were more than happy to store it all."

Jane tried not to cry at how kind everyone had been towards them. They were very lucky, and she understood the significance of that. Especially when everyone was still feeling the effects of recovering from the war.

The front door shut, and Ellen called out loud enough for the whole house to hear. "We're back."

"I guess I should get back to it then," Michael said, heading downstairs.

"Annabel why don't you go downstairs and help Ellen with lunch. We'll be along shortly," Mary instructed.

Rising to her feet, Annabel paused as she looked at the bin of photos. "Aunt Jane, if you don't mind, can you leave those out so I can look through them later?"

"Of course, darling," Jane said, more than happy to indulge. She laughed gently as Annabel nodded, turned on her heel, and trotted down the stairs after her father. "I do wish they'd been able to be children just a little longer," Jane said, constantly reminded of how mature they had all become after their mother died.

"There's still time," Mary said, cryptically. "We may not be able to change the past, but it's never too late to improve the future. You of all people should know that."

"What do you mean?" Jane asked, cocking her head curiously.

Mary resisted the urge to roll her eyes once more. "Is that not what you fight for every day? You can't erase the war, but you do your best to make sure that everyone suffering has help, and you never lose your optimism that things will get better. You spread that hope Jane, merely by believing it to be true."

"I'd never really thought of it like that before. I mean, I just want people to be treated fairly... to be able to take care of themselves and their families." As the words spilled from her lips, Jane recognized exactly what Mary meant. She'd always known it was the right thing, but it was a problem today. It was one of the many effects of the war. She thought she was helping to clean things up, not build them anew.

"Did you really mean what you said?" Jane asked.

"I don't make it a habit of saying things that I don't mean, Jane. Really," she said, shaking her head. "What was it that I said that you're doubting?"

"That I'm like her. She changed history. I'm just trying to help people."

"Is that not the same thing?" Mary knew that Jane wasn't going to accept the truth on her own. She squatted down in front of Jane, something she was not in the habit of doing. "You devote your time and energy to making the world a better place for everyone–a place that treats people fairly and respects the value of every individual. You don't have to do that, Jane. Few people do. It's a choice you make every day, and I think if more people made that choice, we would all be much better off.

"Your fight shows people that it's possible. You show people you care, beyond what happens in your own household or to your own family. It's a very noble thing to do. Yes, your mother fought bravely and persistently to give a voice to women. You're continuing that legacy by using that power to make a difference.

There was a lingering pause as Jane processed everything Mary had just said. She didn't know how to respond. Did Mary Poppins really think that highly of her? Would her mother? It wasn't something she'd given a lot of thought to, but now it was all she could think about. She wanted to say something to Mary in response. Thank her, ask her more questions... something. Her own emotions were swelling though, and she was afraid of how she might sound.

"Come now," Mary said, wiping a tear from Jane's cheek. "We can't have you crying through lunch." She paused for a moment, staring into Jane's eyes until she was sure the younger woman was okay. Rising to her feet, she headed towards the stairs.

"Mary Poppins," Jane said, stopping her former nanny in her tracks. "Thank you."

"I did nothing," Mary said, waving off the thanks.

"You did," Jane said, moving in front of the older woman. "Your kindness and patience with us as children taught me just as much as mother did."

"Jane..."

"No, listen. You more than anyone always treated Michael and me like we were more than just troublesome children. You listened to us. You saw us. Mother may have given me my voice, but you were the one that gave me the confidence to use it. Mother showed us how much of a difference groups like her's could make, but you showed us how much difference one person's kindness could make. I don't know if I would really understand that if you hadn't come into our lives."

"Jane," Mary said, sincerely. She noticed Jane's cheeks flushing slightly and melted a little. "Thank you. That means a great deal to me." She didn't often get to see what happened to the children she spent time with. She didn't see if she had any influence on who they would become or not. Perhaps Jane was giving her too much credit, but maybe she wasn't. Maybe Mary really had given Jane some confidence. If that were the case, she would most assuredly be telling Jane Banks exactly how she saw her more often. London was a much better place with Jane fighting for it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for reading. Please let me know what you think!


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